International Journal on Recent and Innovation Trends in Computing and Communication

Volume: 2 Issue: 9

ISSN: 2321-8169
2596 2598

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Wax Defects in Investment Casting and its Minimization

Ajay Bhardwaj Assistant Professor & Workshop Superintendent Department of Mechanical Engineering S.S.B.T
C.O.E.T Bambhori Jalgaon (M.S) India
mailme_ajaybhardwaj09@rediffmail.com

C. K Mukherjee Assistant Professor Department of Mechanical Engineering S.S.B.T C.O.E.T Bambhori Jalgaon
(M.S) India

Abstract-- In any kind of manufacturing, there are defects in materials, process, or products that need to be minimized or eliminated. In this
paper study has been done about wax defects and there minimization, generally in this method defects occur during waxing. This process uses
wax pattern which is subsequently melted from the mold, leaving a cavity having all the details of the original pattern. This method produce a
part of very close tolerances and this process does not need a parting line or any form of spilt mould.
Keywords: Investment Casting; Pattern wax; soluble wax; Wax preparation; Wax defects.

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1. INTRODUCTION:
[1] Investment casting process is also called as lost wax
process or precision casting; this process consists to two
stages. First a master pattern is made of steel or brass and it
is replica of the part to be cast. Around it, a spilt mould is
formed from gelatine or an alloy of low melting point. This
alloy is poured over the master pattern. After solidification
master mould is obtained. This master mould is used for
making the wax or lost pattern. Materials for preparing
master mould are plaster of paris or gypsum products for
non- ferrous castings, ethyl silicate, sodium silicate and
phosphoric acid for steel castings and sometimes fine-grain
silica sand is also used for preparing master mould. [2] The
process is generally used for small castings, but has been
used to produce complete aircraft door frames, steel castings
of up to 300 kg and aluminum castings of up to 30 kg. It is
generally more expensive per unit than die casting or sand
casting, but has lower equipment costs. It can produce
complicated shapes that would be difficult or impossible
with die casting, yet like that process, it requires little
surface finishing and only minor machining. Investment
casting is used in the aerospace and power generation
industries to produce turbine blades with complex shapes or
cooling systems. Investment casting is also widely used by
firearms manufacturers to fabricate firearm receivers,
triggers, hammers, and other precision parts at low cost.
Other industries that use standard investment-cast parts
include military, medical, commercial and automotive. [3]
Pattern waxes are blends consist of components like
petroleum waxes, natural waxes, natural and synthetic resins
and organic fillers. Paraffin is the most commonly used
petroleum waxes because it is less expensive compare to

other raw materials also controls or enhances the rheological

properties, which in turn affect the injection temperature and
fluidity of the pattern wax blend. Microcrystalline wax gives
some control to flow, hardness and strength of the pattern
wax.
The introduction of organic fillers has become an important
development in the formulation of investment casting
waxes.
Following points should be considered while selecting
fillers.

Organic
Low ash content
Relatively high melting point
Non-reactive towards the base wax ceramic and
metallurgical processes
Fine particle size distribution
Specific gravity close to the base wax
The most commonly used fillers are Isopthalic, polystyrene
(Thermosetting & Thermoplastic), Bisphenol A and Hydrofill. The quality of wax pattern has direct affect on this
process.
Following are the defects while making wax pattern and
should be solved:
Deformation of wax pattern:
After getting wax pattern from mould, sometimes
deformation is caused by workers wrong operation; in
addition to size change narrow itself. Because it is common
that wax pattern flexure deforms in the cooling process, so
we should keep it carefully placed from pattern. Also too
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IJRITCC | September 2014, Available @ http://www.ijritcc.org

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International Journal on Recent and Innovation Trends in Computing and Communication

Volume: 2 Issue: 9

ISSN: 2321-8169
2596 2598

_______________________________________________________________________________________________
soft wax material, unreasonable design of mould could be a
factor for deformation.
Wax is not fully filled into mould
It is due to the temperature of wax material i.e. too low.
Wrinkles on the surface of wax pattern.
Soluble Wax:
Majority of soluble wax consists of three raw materials
binder, filler and effervescing carbonate. The binder is
polyethylene glycol commonly known as PEG. PEG is
available in numerous molecular weights and is used in
various combinations to achieve the desired viscosity,
hardness and melting point characteristics. Filler improve
shrinkage characteristics it also helps the overall structural
strength of the blend, fibrous materials are used to improve
the strength and elastic properties of the wax, sodium
bicarbonate acts as the bulking agent.
Following are the important properties to be considered
during the development of investment casting:
Ash Content
Hardness
Viscosity
Ductility
Surface Tension
Wet ability of primary Coat
Volumetric Expansion
Surface Smoothness
Melt
Shrinkage, Cavitations or Sink.
Thermal Conductivity
Wax preparation: Wax preparation is an important step in
the investment casting process. If the wax surface is not
clean, the final casting surface will show defects. Likewise,
if the slurry is unable to adhere to the wax surface, the final
casting can have lifting defects, cracking and run outs.
Following are the wax defects which develop during wax
preparation and should be minimized and eliminated. [4]
1. Air Bubbles
Bubbles under the surface of the wax appear either when air
is injected into the mold along with the wax, or when air in
the mold is trapped during the wax injection process. In
either case, these air bubbles can pop when the casting
investment is vacuumed. When the bubbles pop, the void
fills with the investment slurry. Later, the metal fills around
these investment formations and presto-investment inclusion
defects. They most often appear as small rounded holes in
the castings. Inspect waxes for the presence of bubbles by
holding them up to a small table lamp and looking through
them. Light spots indicate bubbles in the wax, although how
easy it is to see them will depend on the "readability" of

your wax. repair these bubbles by popping them with a

heated wax tool and filling the exposed hole with wax A
better solution, however, is to eliminate the source of the
bubbles whenever possible. How that will be accomplished
depends on whether the air is being trapped during the wax
injection process, or whether it is being introduced with the
wax.
2. Trapped Air
Air must be able to escape from the mold at an equal, or
faster, rate than the wax being injected or it will be trapped.
These types of trapped air bubbles can be reduced by the
proper application of powder in mold vents, which allows
air to escape from the mold cavity during injection. It is also
possible to reduce trapped air in molds by reducing injection
pressure and slowing the injection rate.
3. Introduced Air
Bubbles that are introduced into the mold along with the
wax can come from several sources. One source is dissolved
gas in the wax. Another is air that becomes trapped when
new wax chips or dots are loaded into the wax pot: If small
air spaces between the cold waxes chips are covered over by
a molten surface before the air can escape, it is possible for
these tiny bubbles to remain trapped until they are injected
into the molds. To resolve this issue is to pre-melt wax in a
reservoir unit and vacuum de-gas it before loading it into
production wax pots. Another source of introduced air that
causes bubbles in wax is water vapor from condensation in
compressed air lines.

4. Powder and Silicon Spray

There should be the proper use and application of powder
and silicon spray for rubber molds. Silicon sprays are used
as lubricants or mold release agents to facilitate easy,
distortion-free removal of the wax from the rubber mold
cavity. Powder is used to create a microscopic path for the
air in the mold to escape through the air vents during the
injection process. Each of these products must be used
correctly for better solution.
5. Wax Tree Defects
Another defect is the wax tree. One of the most important
issues here is the quality of the connection between the gate
and the sprue. The gate/sprue connection (filet) should be
sealed and smooth all the way around.
CONCLUSION:
Investment casting is best known for its ability to produce
parts having excellent surface finish, dimensionally
accuracy and complex shapes due to defects in wax it result
in poor quality of finish. Problems should be prevented
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IJRITCC | September 2014, Available @ http://www.ijritcc.org

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International Journal on Recent and Innovation Trends in Computing and Communication

Volume: 2 Issue: 9

ISSN: 2321-8169
2596 2598

_______________________________________________________________________________________________
early in the process, rather than fixed at the end. To reduce
or eliminate these defects injection condition, gate positions
should be modify, it is important to fully understand all parts
of the investment casting process, so that problems can be
easily identified and solved quickly. The production of
investment castings requires stringent control of quality,
handling of pattern wax during melting, conditioning and
injection stages directly reflect the quality of casting.

References:
[1]
Production Technology by R. K Jain
[2]
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Investment_casting
[3]
www.paramelt.com/.../casting-wax/Investmentcasting-wax-Technical...
[4]
Identifying and Preventing Wax Defects Finding
Flaws by J. Tyler Teague - MJSA Journal

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